m9elle9 مقلّق
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“m9elle9” (مقلّق) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning upset, in a bad mood.
Meanings
- upset, in a bad mood
- angry at someone
- worried, anxious
Usage
A very common adjective, the participle of the verb qelleq (to upset, to annoy). M9elle9 describes a passing mood: one is upset, annoyed or worried, without the cause necessarily being named. To say who one is angry at, use the preposition 3la: m9elle9 3lik, "he is angry with you". The feminine is m9ell9a and the plural m9ell9in. The word is stronger than "bothered", but less violent than "furious". It does not mean "anxious" in the clinical sense. It is often heard in questions like 3lash nta m9elle9? or mal-ek m9elle9?
Example
علاش نتا مقلق
3lash nta m9l9
“Why are you upset?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “m9elle9” but also “m9alla9”, “m9lle9”, “m9ll9”, “mqelleq” and “m9ala9”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “m9elle9” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “annoying, irritating”; “upset, in a bad mood”: m9ale9 in Tunisian.